


You Got All The Strings (and Know Just How To Tug Them)

by artemisia_HQ



Series: You Got All The Strings [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: 5+1 Things, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - College/University, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Future Fic, Just Kageyama being whipped af, Just a little argument what did you expect, Light Angst, Living Together, M/M, Or he just really loves his sunshine, Post-Canon, Pro Volleyball Player Hinata Shouyou, Pro Volleyball Player Kageyama Tobio, Time Skips, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, kagehina day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-10-14 00:10:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20591423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artemisia_HQ/pseuds/artemisia_HQ
Summary: Tobio is screwed.“Please?”Really, he's surprised he lasted this long."Fine!"Five times Kageyama can't say no and the one time Hinata says yes.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY KAGEHINA DAY! (´♡‿♡`)
> 
> So, I'm supposed to post this in one go, but I'm not yet finished with it so I'll update this over the week :) I just want to post something for my precious sons' day ☆⌒(ゝ。∂)
> 
> ***
> 
> This had been sitting on my WIP folder for months and I finally found time to start working on it while taking a break from studying (which is going rather well, thank you very much).
> 
> Remember when Oikawa mentioned how Kags is wrapped around Hinata's little finger and how painfully obvious it is? Yeah, I was constantly thinking about that approximately 37x a day and I'm like, just write a goddamn fic about it so you can chill. So here it is and you got Oikawa to blame for. Or thank for. Whatever xD
> 
> Title is from 'I Think I'm In Love' by Kat Dahlia. 
> 
> ***
> 
> Also, thank you @[MiraculousLover18](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiraculousLover18/pseuds/MiraculousLover18) for taking time to beta the fluffy parts of this ♥️

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A handful of angst right off the bat because why not?
> 
> Also a dash of sappiness in the end to counter that.

“Home!” Tobio calls out the moment he opens the door to their apartment.

_Their_ apartment.

Even after almost three months, Tobio is still processing the fact that he’s living with his dumbass partner-slash-rival-slash-best friend-slash-boyfriend (just how many roles does Hinata has in his life?). It still makes him giddy and warm whenever he gets to say that when he gets home after a grudging day of classes, and he gets the same feeling when he hears Hinata say the same thing.

(They still do it even if they arrive together; it’s almost like a habit. One of them would say _‘I’m home,’_ the other answering _‘Welcome back.’_)

It had been Hinata’s idea, living together, asking him a week after they both got the acceptance letter from Waseda University. It’s basic math, really (not that Tobio is good at math), it would lessen their expenses and as if they haven’t been basically playing house with the excessive amount of time spent in sleepovers. He’s even a bit miffed that he didn’t come up with the idea first. He’ll get back on Hinata for that someday.

And it’s been great. _Really_ great. They managed to have come to an arrangement with how things will work: Hinata cleans, Tobio cooks. It’s the best compromise they can deal with, and as far as he’s concerned, he’s got no complains about their simple setup. But minor hiccups and some disagreements couldn’t be avoided and given their track record, it’s hardly a surprise that they get into little fights. Mostly over small, petty things—it’s not always rose-tinted days after all.

Right now, he just wants to cool off his head. He’s annoyed—that psych exam was pure hell, half of the questions wasn’t in the handouts. He even pulled an all-nighter for it and realizing that it didn’t make a bit of a difference, his irritation spiked. He could do with a bright smile and a bone-crushing hug right now, maybe even a kiss if he’s lucky. But the only person who could give all three of those is nowhere in sight.

He removes his shoes and puts them in the shoe rack. He waits. Still, no bouncing dumbass. It’s a Tuesday, he’s fairly sure Hinata’s classes ended two hours ago. And he’s not out either, his shoes are there on the rack.

“Shouyou?” he calls, louder.

Only the echo of his own voice answers him.

Frowning, Tobio steps into the entry hall. The instant he enters, a whiff of something burning fills his nose. And when a loud clang and a hiss, followed by a blood-curdling shriek emanates from their kitchen, Tobio drops his bag on the floor with a loud thud and practically sprints across the hall, cold dread dousing him like ice water.

“Shouyou!”

_Shit shit shit._ What if some criminal entered their apartment and hurt Hinata and _fuck_, he’s going to positively murder anyone who touches even a strand of Hinata’s hair, he _fucking swears_ he’ll—

The entire kitchen—or what's supposed to be their kitchen—is in shambles, like the aftermath of a devastating hurricane. Brown viscous liquid splatters the tiled walls, dripping down on the counter, making small pools on the floor. Every single pots and pans they own are piled on the sink, the cabinets that sheltered them still open. And in its midst is the hurricane himself, crouched down by the sink, his back to Tobio.

The sudden rush of adrenaline that fuels him just seconds ago rolls off of him just as quick, replacing it with a whole new mix of emotions. First with relief, then confusion, his lethargic brain trying to digest the absolute chaos in front of him.

“What—”

Hinata whelps as he jumps up in surprise, turning around quickly. Pure shock is reflected in his eyes, but he attempts to cover it up with a toothy smile.

“T-Tobio! I—uhm—you're home early!” Hinata says, forcing a cheerful tone despite the tremble in his voice, which only increases the anger unfurling from the pit of Tobio's stomach.

“What...the fuck—”

“Waaaaah! Tobio!”

“—happened to our kitchen?!”

Hinata bounds up to him, waving his arms frantically. His hair is messier than usual, bits of flour blotching the orange, his face smeared with more flour and that brown liquid. He’s wearing an apron but that doesn’t prevent it from staining his white shirt with even more brown stuff and God knows what else.

“I'm sorry! I'm sorry!” Hinata screeches, sounding almost hysterical. Then he pouts, looking up at Tobio with wide honey brown eyes. “I was trying to make you curry...”

“You know you can't cook! That's why I'm in charge of that!” He ignores the way Hinata recoils at his outburst and stomps his way towards the stove and opens the brown-stain-encrusted pot. Instantly, the burnt smell hits Tobio's nose and he coughs on the crook of his arm as he forcefully puts the lid back with a loud clang. Hinata jumps.

Suppressing the scalding jibe on the tip of his tongue, his gaze roams around the kitchen, further surveying the damage. He inhales sharply and looks back at Hinata in disbelief. “You broke the microwave?"

If possible, Hinata’s eyes goes even wider and now he looks more terrified than pleading. “I'm sorry! I'm just trying to surprise you and make you feel better since you're so stressed about your psych exam.” His frantic expression softens a bit and takes a step closer to Tobio, hands reaching out. “How was it anyway?”

“This isn't making me feel better! And don't try to change the sub—” His sight flickers on Hinata’s right hand, zeroing in on his bandaged index finger.

“What’s that?”

“What's what?”

He grabs Hinata’s hands, pulling him closer and Hinata lets out a surprised yelp. “What happened to your hands?” Tobio demands, not even bothering to hide the anger behind it.

Hinata tenses under his hold. “Oh. I—uhm—I might have...accidentally burned my finger while cooking.”

Tobio blinks. “What.”

“It's nothing! It's not that serious!” Hinata pries his hands off of Tobio’s grasp to undo the bandage and thrusts the finger under his nose. “I already put some burn ointment on it. See!”

The taut string holding his temper finally snaps at the sight of Hinata’s red index finger.

He can’t afford to have any injury at a time like this, no matter how minor. Both of them are. The selection process for the starting roster for their university's volleyball team has started in preparation for the new season's tournaments. And although they have a fairly good chance of getting picked, they are other players who are as talented and skilled. A minor injury is not worth the risk. If they intend to keep their mutual promise to play volleyball at the highest level, then they need to maintain their body in peak condition.

He takes a hold of Hinata’s hands again, a bit harsh he admits, judging by the pained sob from Hinata.

“You absolute idiot! How can you do something this stupid? Do you even understand how important your hands are? How can you play like this?" he roars, all restraints letting loose. He doesn't even care that their neighbors could probably hear him.

The anxious, fearful look on Hinata suddenly shifts, lips curling into a frown, his eyes once wide with panic now holds a spark of incredulity.

"Something_ this stupid_?" Then he erupts, hurling Tobio’s outrage back, "I try to do something nice for you and that's how you react?"

"This isn't nice! And that's not my point!"

"Oh, I get your point. All you care about is how this stupid thing is going to affect how I'll play. After all this time, you still doubt me."

And Tobio's fuse blows, right through the fucking atmosphere.

"If that's what you think, then _fine_! Don't blame me if I get to be a regular and you don't!"

Not even a millisecond right after he spats the words out when the waves of regret hit him like a riptide, and he’s washed away by the current, unable to retract the venomous words he just threw.

Hinata gawks at him, unblinking, for one long agonizing minute before his defiant expression turns blank. Resigned.

"Well then, I'm sorry, _Kageyama_, if you still think I'm not good enough." He says Tobio’s name acidly, as if he’s being burned by it. He unties his apron and haphazardly flings it at the counter. "And sorry about the microwave. I'll buy a new one, don't worry."

Tobio doesn't even get to take a single step nor another word out when he hears the loud bang of a door closing.

* * *

Tobio flips through the channels with disinterest, not really paying attention to what's on the TV. With an irritated groan, he turns it off and flops down on the couch, face first.

Stupid, _dumbass_ Hinata and his stupid, _dumbass_ ideas and recklessness. Tobio’s the one in the right here. How can he play with a burned-up finger? It’s nothing major, he admits, but still, an injury is an injury. He’s just looking out for him, how can Hinata get mad at that? _He_ should have the right to be mad. He’s exhausted and annoyed, his patience already wearing thin even before he got home, and seeing the disastrous state of their kitchen—which is entirely Hinata’s fault—is not helping his foul mood.

Which Hinata was trying to enliven by attempting to make his favorite food because he knows he’ll be stressed over that exam.

But he can’t cook and the last time he tried, he almost burned down the apartment, and this time, he’s halfway through doing that again, the stubborn part of him reasons.

And yet, he still tried for his sake.

Yes, but—

Then he snapped at him, disregarded his concern, letting his temper have full reign, and he knows as much as anyone that the moment that happens, the barely enough tact he possesses would fling itself right off the fucking window.

Guilt settled like gasoline in his gut, burning his insides with flickers of regret. He knows he doesn't mean even one syllable from what he said but that doesn't change the fact that he did say it, and for one shameful moment he actually _did_ mean it, but not in the way it sounded like. It was intended to challenge, one of the surefire ways to spur Hinata, but it did the complete opposite. No wonder—if Hinata said it to him in the exact same manner, it would feel like he was stabbed repeatedly and without mercy right in the heart.

Even before he realizes it, his feet carries him in front of their bedroom door. With a steeling exhale, he gathers all of his courage and hesitantly knocks.

"Shouyou, open the door."

He hears some muffled shuffling, then nothing. He waits for another minute or two before he knocks again, louder and more insistent.

"Shouyou, please."

Thirty-five agonizing seconds passed without a single word or noise from the other side and Tobio is actually entertaining the idea of forcibly kicking the door open when there’s a series of soft thuds against the carpeted floor.

He’s never heard a more relieving sound than the click of the door unlocking.

He turns the knob, testing at first, still uncertain if it's really unlocked and he breathes a sigh of relief when it is. He slowly opens the door and enters their bedroom. The windows are closed, the curtains drawn, swallowing the room in shadows. He leaves the door ajar, allowing a stream of light in. Hinata sits on the edge of their bed, arms crossed, pointedly facing away from Tobio. He tentatively makes his approach and settles beside him.

"Shou, look at me," he says in a what he deems as his coaxing voice. He rarely calls Hinata by this nickname, because, well, it's embarrassing, he only gotten used to calling him by his given name. But he reserves it in moments of intimacy, when he's overrun by emotions or when he really, _really_ wants to get Hinata's attention. And most of the time, it works.

Not today, apparently, what with Hinata turning away from Tobio even more, punctuated with an indignant huff.

With a sigh, he inches closer to him and unfolds his crossed arms as gentle as he can, giving him a hug in the process. Hinata squirms at first, resisting, but eventually allows Tobio to hold him.

He nuzzles his nose on the crook of Hinata's neck—he smells like curry powder and smoke, but still with that citrusy scent he always has. He tightens his hold on him, squeezing Hinata's middle. Hinata whines, but he makes no move to push Tobio away.

"I'm sorry," he murmurs against Hinata's hoodie. His voice sounds a little raspy but he continues, "You know I don't mean it like that."

"It sounds to me that you mean it exactly like that."

Tobio unburies his face from Hinata's neck. He cups his cheek with one hand and very gently turns his head to face him. Hinata doesn't resist, but his eyes still refuses to meet his.

"Listen. I never doubted your skills. I never did and I never will. I—I’m just worried about you getting hurt, and I'm having a shitty day and—" He pauses, frowning at his admission, "—and I'm stressed about us getting picked."

"You need to control your temper," Hinata mumbles, fiddling with the string of his hoodie, tugging and pulling and curling it on his bandaged finger. It's a nervous habit of his, and Tobio doesn't know if he should be relieved or worried that it’s not just him that’s clearly rattled by that argument earlier.

He releases his hold on Hinata’s cheek to clasp it over his fidgeting hands to stop his fussing. "I know. I'm working on it."

Hinata draws out a sigh. He takes Tobio's hand and plays with his fingers instead. He always has this odd fixation on Tobio's hands. _'I like them because you use them for tossing,' _he said when Tobio asked him about it._ 'But I love them because they're big and warm and it fits perfectly in mine.' _

He finally looks up at Tobio. His eyes are noticeably misty and a little puffy even under the shadows, a sign that he's been crying and Tobio's heart plummets in guilt. Another apology is halfway through his mouth but Hinata beat him to it.

"I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean to make you feel bad. It's just sometimes—" he pauses, biting his lower lip, as if he's about to start crying again. “Sometimes, it's hard to do things for you. I still don't know if you actually appreciate them." He drops his gaze again, eyeing their entwined fingers. "Or me."

Tobio tips Hinata's face back up to him and flicks his forehead.

"Ow! Hey—!"

He puts his hands on Hinata’s cheeks and squeezes. He doesn't have that plump baby cheeks anymore but Tobio still finds him terribly cute with his puckered lips and crinkled nose. "Stupid. Why are you thinking like that?"

Hinata slaps his hands away and pouts. "Every time I do something for you, you get all frowny and constipated-looking. And I still can't read your mind so who knows what's going on in your head."

With a click of his tongue, he tugs him by his wrist and Hinata lets out a muffled _'oompf'_ as he crashes on his chest. He circles his arms around his waist and rests his chin atop the crown of orange hair, still unruly with dusting of flour.

"If there's anything I appreciate more than anything, it's you, dumbass," he mumbles on Hinata's hair. "Shouldn't you know that by now?"

He feels a shift in movement and he loosens his hold, just enough for Hinata to peer up to him. He grins. "I know."

There maybe a teasing lilt and amusement to his voice, but those eyes are telling something else, conveying pure, honest emotions and Tobio could only respond with the words that perfectly describe what exactly those emotions are. It's second nature by now, like breathing or tossing, as if he solely _exists_ just to say these words to the only person who deserves to hear them.

He gazes back into those round golden eyes he so helplessly adores. “I love you.”

Hinata's grin evolves into a beaming smile. And when he replies with a cheery, "I love you, too!" absolute affection and warmth reflected in his features, Tobio knows that every syllable of those same words are meant just for him, too.

Their lips molds perfectly, like it's made for each other just as well. It's sweet, gentle kisses, an affirmation that they're both sorry more than words can say, an unspoken promise of reassurance and certainty, that everything is alright as long as they have each other.

They break apart after a while, their foreheads leaning against the other. Hinata rearranges himself into Tobio's lap and hugs his waist, his head leaning on his chest.

"Sorry about the mess. And the microwave," Hinata says, muffled slightly by Tobio's shirt.

Tobio pats his hair, partly to get rid of the flour, but mostly to pacify this overgrown puppy of his. He hears a satiated hum as Hinata snuggles closer. Yep, definitely a puppy. "It's fine," Tobio says. "We'll just clean it up and we'll chip in for a new microwave."

Hinata disentangles himself from Tobio and stares up at him in disbelief. "What? No, I broke it, I pay for it.”

Since when did Hinata become mature and capable of owning up to his mistakes? Then again, since when did Tobio become so mellowed that he can't even stay mad at Hinata for thirty minutes?

Guess they both change without them realizing. All for the better.

So, being a responsible _almost-adult_ he is, he shakes his head. "No, we'll share. It's our microwave."

Hinata narrows his eyes at him, seemingly suspicious. "Uh-huh. It's not a trick, right? You're not just saying that and then when we go shopping, you'll bail?"

And now Hinata's back to being an obnoxious little shit.

He lightly pinches Hinata's nose, making him snort, and releases it. "Dumbass. When I say we share, we share. Have I ever lied to you?" _And as if I could_, his brain supplies.

Hinata still eyes him with mild skepticism, but a grin is now playing on his lips. "You won't drop this, won't you?"

"No."

"Fine." His hands loops on Tobio's neck and begins to card his fingers through the hair on his nape. "How was your psych exam by the way?"

There's nothing sensual about Hinata's question, it's about an exam for fuck's sakes, but the sensation of Hinata's fingers tugging lightly in his hair, which never fails to do _something_ to him, not to mention his warm breath ghosting over Tobio's cheeks, sends a wave of fizzle along his spine and down to his toes.

"Horrible," he answers before tackling both of them sideways into the bed, Hinata yelping in surprise. He holds him closer, peppering his hair and forehead with soft pecks, Hinata’s giggling in between.

"You know, there are other ways you can do to make me feel better," he whispers on Hinata's ear before nipping at his earlobe.

Hinata makes a tiny gasping sound. And with dexterity and surprising strength, he maneuvers himself off of Tobio's hold and straddles his waist, looking down at him with a salacious smile, his pinkish cheeks evident even in the dark.

"Oh yeah? And what are those, Tobio?"

He smirks. "Like this." He leans up as he pulls him down, capturing those soft lips into his own, Hinata’s distinct sweet taste more delectable and rewarding than any other curry.

* * *

He can count himself more than lucky. He gets to have more than a kiss after all.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be dropping hints as to what the 'theme' is for every scenario (^.~)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Movies and puppies, the perfect recipe for a date.

“Oi, dumbass, slow down.”

“I'm way too excited!”

“Don't run! Oi! Shouyou!”

Tobio dashes after his idiot boyfriend, snaking through the mass of people and craning his neck to follow the bright orange hair quickly disappearing into the crowd.

They don't go out that much—they're both busy balancing their studies and playing for their university team—but after Hinata saw the movie trailer for his favorite dumb action TV series (which Tobio secretly likes), he pleaded that they spend their Saturday off for a movie date, and _naturally_, Tobio agreed.

(It's not like he wanted to see the movie—yeah okay, maybe he does.)

They just exited the Shinjuku station, a good half an hour train ride, even though there are perfectly good small cinemas near their apartment. But Hinata wanted to experience the movie _'in_ _its full awesomeness’ _and insisted they watch it at TOHO Cinemas, and Tobio would rather deal with a long train ride and ridiculously expensive movie tickets than a whiny dumbass.

Now that dumbass is smirking at him, looking cocky as hell as he casually leans by the cinema’s entrance.

“You're getting slow, Tobio," Hinata says smugly then pinches Tobio's cheek with a grin. “You're paying for the popcorn."

He slaps Hinata’s hand away. “Tsk. Yeah, yeah. Let's just get inside to see this dumb movie."

"Hey! It's not dumb! I know you like it, too!"

"Whatever.”

They fall in line for the tickets and the popcorn pair set, which adds for a whopping 4700-yen in total. Tobio is about to pay when Hinata hands over a couple of paper bills.

Tobio quirks a questioning brow at him. "I thought this was on me?"

"Just the popcorn, Bakageyama. I didn't say you'll pay for the tickets, too," Hinata replies matter-of-factly.

"I don't mind." He really doesn't. They rarely go on dates, and it's not bad to splurge once in a while.

But Hinata vehemently shakes his head. "No. I'll pay for my ticket. We talked about this."

Really, Tobio is still taken aback by this surprising display of maturity from Hinata. With a relenting sigh, he takes the money from Hinata's hand. "Fine."

"But I'm broke so lunch is on you."

He smacks him upside the head.

The movie is so-and-so, he isn't really paying that much attention to it. As if he could—the loud, _vibrating_ orange-haired idiot next to him is annoyingly distracting, with all the shouting and excessive hand waving during the action scenes. Hinata already slapped him twice, and when another hand comes dangerously close to his face, he catches it by the wrist and pins it by the arm rest.

"Ow! What—"

"Stay fucking still, dumbass. You almost hit me again," he chides as he glares at the shadowed features of Hinata but he has no trouble finding his eyes, illuminated golden by the light from the movie screen.

He hears Hinata snort. "You just wanted to hold my hand."

Tobio coughs. "N-no." Maybe. "Stop moving around so much."

He’s about to release his grip on his wrist when Hinata slides his palm against Tobio's and intertwines their fingers together. "If you're going to do it, do it right, stupid," Hinata says with a snicker, eyes dancing with amusement.

"Dumbass."

Hinata giggles and places a quick kiss on Tobio's cheek, but before he can react, Hinata returns his attention back to the movie, face instantly beaming as another _'super amazing' _scene unfolds on the screen.

What's a 1800-yen ticket compared to the looks of pure, innocent delight brimming from the boy he call his.

* * *

"It was awesome like _bwaaah_! Then he goes _zoooom_ and _baaam_! The bad guys couldn't do a thing! Did you like the movie, Tobio?"

“It was okay, I guess. What do you want to eat?” Tobio asks as he browses through his phone for restaurants around the area. Even after more than a year in Tokyo, he still isn't used to the city's intricacies, and for some reason, the crowd is thicker than usual. He opens a site featuring a list of restaurants close to the cinema.

“How about some _katsudon_? Shouyou? Oi—"

He looks to his left and Hinata is nowhere to be found.

_Oh shit_. Had he been swept away by the throngs of people? It happened once and Tobio spent almost an entire hour looking for him. Trying not to get seized by a fit of panic, he does a quick turn, eyes skimming the area for a flash of orange and when he sees him, face pressed against a window just a couple of meters behind, relief surges up his chest, followed closely by annoyance.

With quick, firm steps, he approaches Hinata. “Dumbass! How many times do I have to—” His words and any trailing thoughts halts as soon as he notices what have caught Hinata’s attention.

Five Pomeranian puppies are on display by the window, pouncing and rolling around their pen, their tiny shrill barks and whimpers muffled by the glass display.

“Uwaaaah. Look, Tobio!” Hinata gushes, eyes not leaving the window. He probably doesn’t realize they got separated—he’s completely enthralled by the frolicking balls of fur, tumbling and running over each other. “Waah! They're sooo cute! Aren't they cute?”

Tobio could only nod and answer with a shaky, “...yeah.”

“Oooh! Look at this little guy!”

One of the puppies has noticed their presence and is now standing on his hindlegs, wagging its tail. When Hinata taps his fingers on the glass, the puppy falls back on all fours and rolls over, twice, and finishes off his trick with a pleased bark and another fitful wagging of its tail. Tobio nearly loses it and has to grip his jacket to quell the almost uncontrollable urge to punch something and the closest _thing _in the vicinity is his boyfriend.

Hinata, on the other hand, doesn't hold back in tugging and punching and slapping Tobio, all the while squealing his lungs out. He just lets him and pays no mind to the startled, confused stares from the people walking past—he’s too busy trying not to follow Hinata’s lead, practically trembling in effort.

The puppy tilts his little head, seemingly amused by their collective reactions, and does the _fucking thing again_, and Hinata has enough sense to stifle his scream at Tobio’s shoulders. Tobio bites his tongue and grabs a fistful of Hinata’s jacket, clutching it so hard his knuckles turn white. The puppy barks, like he’s laughing at the effect it has on them, reducing two university students to helpless, indulgent puddles.

“Tobioooo…”

He almost didn’t hear him, Hinata's face is still buried in his jacket’s sleeves, muffling his voice. But his pleading, almost coy tone doesn't go unheeded and Tobio’s got this nagging suspicion of the direction this conversation is heading, and he so desperately prays for any faint possibility that this is not what he thinks this is.

“W-what?”

Hinata finally looks up at him, cheeks flushed, his brown eyes a near-perfect imitation of the puppy, and when another drawled out, “_Tobioooooooo_,” which comes out husky and breathless, he knows he’s gotten himself into yet another of Hinata’s whims.

“Shouyou, no.”

“But—”

“We are not getting a puppy!” Tobio hisses as he releases his hold on Hinata’s jacket.

Hinata extracts himself from Tobio and pouts, purposely puckering his lips in exaggeration. “Why not?”

“Because you can't even take care of the pot of daisies Yachi-san gave you. It died after a week! How do you expect to handle a puppy?”

"Plants and animals are two different things! Besides, I don't know a thing about gardening anyway, but I'm great with animals!"

Tobio rubs at his temples—he could already feel the veins throbbing. With a deep sigh, he answers in a leveled voice, evoking as much convincing as he can, “Shouyou, we can't. We're both too busy to take care of it.”

“But—”

“No.”

For one glorious minute, Hinata stops his sulking, Tobio's logic breaking past his impetuosity and Tobio silently rejoiced in relief. But then Hinata's pouty expression molds into something else and in one fluid motion, he flings himself back to Tobio and loops his arms around his neck.

"Tobio, I really, _really_ want a puppy," Hinata whispers right at his ears, voice silky and dripping with honey, and Tobio's knees are threatening to buckle under his feet. But it's when Hinata starts to rub his nose at Tobio's neck, tickling and placing light, feathery kisses down to his shoulders, that almost sends Tobio to the precipice.

Almost.

Gathering whatever common sense and barely sufficient self-control he has left, he tries to pry Hinata off of him, palming his face away from him. "S-stop—”

But the dumb idiot sticks to Tobio like a monkey, he's practically climbing over him. The round, pleading eyes are back again, and as if helping Hinata in convincing Tobio, the puppies bark, all five of them now lined up against the window, their tails swishing in unison. He ignores them, he's already got one annoying puppy to deal with.

"Dumbass, let go—"

“I'll do anything, Tobio," Hinata says, cutting him off. The look in his eyes shifts, a gleam of something taunting and allusive, as his voice drops to a silvery whisper, “_Anything_. Just let me keep one.”

Tobio shudders and it has nothing to do with the breeze of cold spring air. His mind starts to race at the prospect of anything, from making Hinata pay for their lunch (if they ever get to eat) to maybe order him around to do stupid, embarrassing stuff. But his thoughts settled to less than wholesome ones, their…activities from the last few nights feeding his moronic, traitorous brain. Maybe he'll finally agree to—

_Woah woah woah._ Stop. He's not going there, _he's absolutely not going there_, he admonishes himself as he wills away the flush starting to gather in his body, specifically on certain parts.

He roughly rubs a hand across his face, both in exasperation at himself and at Hinata. “Shouyou—”

“Please, Tobio. I won't ask for anything ever again. Consider it as an early birthday gift for me.” The round, wistful eyes are back, but somehow, it's a lot worse than the half-lidded, doe eyes Hinata was giving him just a few seconds ago. The way he’s looking at him right now, earnest and hopeful, reminds him of fifteen-year old Hinata, begging for Tobio to toss to him and like a fucking _tsunami_, he's overcome by this overwhelming rush of affection and nostalgia and—_shit _.

He’s screwed.

“Please?”

Really, he's surprised he lasted this long.

“Fine!”

Hinata lights up like a glaring beacon. “Yay! Thank you!” He jumps in place, hooting and cheering like he just won an Olympic gold medal. He flashes Tobio a million-watt smile. “Tobio, you're the best!”

He blinks, stunned, then he grumbles, trying not to get flustered by the sudden praise, but the furious blush starting to burn across his cheeks and the tips of his ears says otherwise.

Hinata laughs. He walks right up to him and cups his face, tugs him down and kisses him full on the lips. He pulls away with a loud smack and a cheeky grin, then he bounces off to enter the pet shop, leaving Tobio in an awkward bend down position, shell-shocked and dazed. Even after all these years, even after knowing how unpredictable and quirky Hinata is, he still has the capacity to surprise Tobio at the most random times.

It’s infuriating.

He loves it.

With a click of his tongue and a slight shake of his head, he straightens his back. He follows after Hinata, his lips curling up in an unbidden smile.

* * *

Hinata never did ask for anything on his birthday, even though they ended up giving the puppy to their landlord's daughter two weeks after they adopted it.

Tobio sometimes misses the puppy, though.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prices for the tickets and the popcorn are legit.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two dorks being disgustingly domestic
> 
> Also worried!Kageyama is always a favorite trope of mine :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Manga peeps, you all still alive? (I'm not)

The pan sizzles as Tobio mixes in the rice and vegetables. He sprinkles in a dash of salt and pepper and stirs as he carefully lifts the pan to give it a shake. He's gotten pretty good at making fried rice, and as Hinata puts it, it's as good as what his mom used to make. Guess two years of trial-and-error pays off.

He reaches for the soy sauce and frowns. There's barely enough of it and with a quick estimation, pours all of it on the rice. He gives it a taste after another round of mixing. Good enough.

"We're out of soy sauce," he says as Hinata comes in. He lowers the stove to medium heat, letting the rice fry for a while and wipes his hands with a kitchen towel. He opens the fridge and reaches out for his milk carton, which is light and evidently close to empty. He grumbles, "And milk." He chugs down the last of its contents and throws the carton on the trash bin.

"We're almost out of detergent, too," Hinata declares after gulping down a glass of water. There's suds on his elbows and his rolled up sleeves are wet from doing the laundry and it still drowns Tobio in this inexplicable feeling swarming his chest at the sight of Hinata so endearingly domestic. With him.

"I think it’s time to go grocery shop—T-Tobio?" Hinata's words leaves unfinished when Tobio hugs him from behind, resting his chin atop his unruly hair held together by a bandana. He can't help himself from giving in to the uncontrollable rush of affection, his body moving out of his own accord.

"What's wrong?" Hinata asks as he places his hand on Tobio's arm. He tightens his hold around Hinata's shoulders, unable to form any fitting words to explain the feeling inside of him. He feels as if there's a garden full of love in his heart, blossoming and growing each day with the sunshine that Hinata brings.

Hinata laughs and reaches out to ruffle his hair. "You're weirdly affectionate on Sundays."

"Shut up."

"The fried rice is gonna get burnt, Cuddlyama."

He slowly extricates himself. Hinata tilts his head to smile at him and he responds with a snort.

"Stop giving me weird-ass nicknames." He resumes his cooking—the rice has started to stick to the pan.

Hinata leans by the counter and pouts. "As if calling me _'dumbass'_ is any better."

"I call all dumbasses, dumbasses. Besides—" he scoops a tiny portion of rice, blows on it and stuffs it in Hinata's mouth "—you're _my_ dumbass."

Hinata grumbles as he chews the rice but his cheeks are noticeably pink.

"Good?" Tobio asks. Hinata gives an enthusiastic nod of assent coupled with a thumbs up. Tobio nods back, satisfied, and returns his attention to finishing the fried rice.

It _is_ good and after a fulfilling lunch, they rest and watch some TV. Hinata brings out a basket full of fresh laundry and they fold their clothes, all the while laughing and shoving each other at the corny jokes from the noontime program.

* * *

“Are you sure you’re gonna be fine by yourself?” Tobio asks for the third time as he folds Hinata’s worn out _‘wisdom of the ace’_ t-shirt. Why does he still have this? It has holes on the armpits and the hem is coming threadbare and he has long since grown out of it. It fits on him like a second skin, contouring his muscles and almost every time he wears it, they end up—_oh_. Maybe _that’s_ why.

Hinata rolls his eyes and zips his jacket up. “Of course, idiot. The supermarket is just two blocks away.” He rummages in one of the kitchen drawers and pulls out a tote bag they use for groceries.

“It’s you we’re talking about. Bet it’ll take you the whole afternoon just to get there.”

“Is that a challenge?” Hinata says, pocketing the short grocery list they made earlier. He smirks at him. “Bet I can get there and come back in just an hour.”

Tobio scoffs as he starts folding one of his sweatpants. “Bet you can’t.” He _knows_ he can’t. Hinata gets unsurprisingly distracted while grocery shopping, his attention darting from one thing to the other and he has a hard time deciding on things. Tobio will win this, easy. “I'll teach you that setting technique if you win. Which I doubt you will.”

“Oh, you are _so_ on, Bakageyama!” And with that declaration, he dashes out the living room. Tobio can hear him shuffling and yelling by the entry hall as he puts on his shoes.

“Don’t forget to bring an umbrella, dumbass,” Tobio calls out.

“Nice try, Tobio.”

“Stupid! I’m not trying to—just bring one!” Silence. He frowns at the nonresponse and turns his head from where he’s sitting on the couch, craning his neck. “Shouyou?”

Only the clicking sound of the door opening then closing answers him.

Tobio sighs. He just hopes it won’t rain like the weather report predicted.

The weather report was right.

Hinata comes home shivering and soaking wet from head to toe, the grocery bag clutched protectively under his jacket.

"Tsk. I told you to bring an umbrella," Tobio chides as he drapes the towel he prepared on Hinata and proceeds to pat him dry with another towel, wiping his water-splattered face and his limp, dripping hair. Hinata drops the bag on the floor and Tobio helps him get his drenched jacket off, letting it fall on the entrance hall. They enter the living room, leaving a trail of dripping water in their wake.

"C-c-co-ld…" Hinata whines, teeth chattering. He lets out a series of loud sneezes, his body lurching forward at the sudden action. He wipes his nose with the back of his hand.

Tobio frowns as he steadies Hinata. "That's what you get for not listening to me." He continues to towel him dry. Hinata sniffs and looks up at him pitifully, nose red from sneezing, eyes watery. Tobio narrows his eyes at him. "Don't give me that. Go sit by the table and wait. I'll run a hot bath."

Hinata nods feebly and makes his way to the kitchen, movements slow and wobbly. Tobio drapes another towel over him. He truly looks small like this, all bundled up, his face the only thing visible from the layer of towels on him and Tobio feels slightly guilty at finding Hinata awfully cute when he's sitting there shaking like a leaf and sniveling helplessly.

Properly showered and covered in possibly every blanket they own, Hinata drinks his tea by the kotatsu as Tobio retrieves the abandoned, slightly wet grocery bag by the entrance hall. Tobio sighs in exasperation as he checks the items—the dumbass prioritized the bag from not getting soaked over himself.

He stomps back into the living room, ready to yell at him for being negligent in taking care of his body _for the millionth time_, when he comes upon a sleeping Hinata curled up under the kotatsu, snoring lightly, his cheeks and nose pink from either the warmth or cold. He looks so peaceful and soft, emitting that child-like innocence he still has even in adulthood, and Tobio could feel his heart melt into nothing but an indulgent puddle.

He carefully tucks him in on their bed, covering him up with more blankets. Hinata stirs, blearily opens his eyes and weakly reaches out for Tobio and it only takes him a millisecond of hesitation before he climbs in on the bed and scoops his boyfriend up in his arms. He kisses Hinata’s warm forehead then tucks his head under his chin, letting the rhythmic pitter-patter of rain against their bedroom window hush them to a slumber.

* * *

“Ughhh. My head hurts. My nose hurts. Everything hurts.”

“It’s your fault for not bringing an umbrella yesterday,” Tobio chides. He puts on a sweater over his shirt. The rain still hasn’t let up and when Hinata woke up complaining about his pounding headache and stuffy nose, the day just got significantly drearier.

Hinata lets out another fit of whimpers as he rolls around in bed. Tobio shushes him with a glare but he whines even more. He hastily sits up, arms outstretched towards Tobio, and cries pleadingly, “_Tobioooo_. Stay with meee~”

“I can’t. I have classes today.” Tobio heaves his messenger bag from the floor pointedly, which only intensifies Hinata’s sulking and pouting, jutting out his lower lip for added effect.

“But I _need_ you.” He stresses on the word _need_, which is exactly what Hinata is right now—needy and clingy and annoying. He sneezes loudly without warning, thrice in a row, and when he finishes, looks up at Tobio expectantly with round amber eyes, tiny tears pricking on the corner.

_Nope_.

Tobio averts his gaze and busies himself in chucking his laptop into his bag. “It’s just a cold. Take some medicine and sleep. You’ll be fine after you rest,” he says evenly, fighting the intense urge to return his attention to Hinata and join him in bed instead, classes forgotten.

He hears an incoherent mutter, some rustling of the sheets then a timid, almost defeated whisper of, “Okay.”

Tobio’s frowns. It’s not like Hinata to give up that easily, he should be sulking and crying and incessantly nagging at Tobio to stay. He turns around and finds Hinata buried under the blankets, facing the wall. He’s curled up in a ball, tucked in on himself. Tobio hesitantly approaches the bed and gently shakes his shoulders, he thinks. Could be his butt for all he knows.

Steadying himself with one arm, he leans in, trying to find Hinata’s face but all he sees is a tuft of orange hair peeking out from the bundle of sheets. “Shouyou—”

“You’re going to be late. I’ll be fine,” Hinata says, voice hoarse and muffled against the fabric. Tobio hears him take a sniff.

His frown deepens. He’s still skeptical at Hinata’s lack of persistence but he’s got no time to worry about it. He only has fifteen minutes to get to school. With a deep exhale, he gets off the bed and slings his bag on his shoulders.

He takes one last look at Hinata before quietly closing the door behind him.

* * *

Tobio is a lump of restless energy the entire morning. He’s half-listening to his classes, he’s busy checking at his phone hidden as inconspicuous as possible under his desk.

**To: Hinata Shouyou**

**Re: (No Subject)**

**10:20AM**

Did you drink the medicine, dumbass?

**To: Hinata Shouyou**

**Re: (No Subject)**

**10:23AM**

There’s tea on the red thermos. Drink it.

**To: Hinata Shouyou**

**Re: (No Subject)**

**10:25AM**

Okayu is on the green thermos.

**To: Hinata Shouyou**

**Re: (No Subject)**

**10:30AM**

Don't move around so much.

**To: Hinata Shouyou**

**Re: (No Subject)**

**10:32AM**

And don’t get snot on the bed sheets.

Hinata replies with a simple, _‘Okay_,’ fifteen minutes later. Just that. _Okay_. A single, one-word reply from the plethora of messages Tobio sent him. Typically, he’ll reply for every single message sent, even add a selfie or a completely unrelated, random picture, which usually annoys Tobio (not Hinata’s pictures; he saves those). But now, Hinata’s lackluster response, weak and feeble he can almost feel it transcend from that single line of text, sends his brain spiraling and knotting his stomach with worry.

Did his cold got worse?

Was sleeping and taking a medicine not enough?

Oh shit, what if it isn’t just a cold?

Lunch break rolls by and his anxious thoughts still rambles and nags at the back of his head. He tries to quell it down, convinces himself that Hinata is fine, that he shouldn’t read that much from a word that literally says _‘okay.’_ So what if he didn’t reply with his usual enthusiasm? He’s sick, _for fuck’s sake_, of course he won’t be his usual self. Even Hinata with all his cheeriness and robust energy could get dampen by a cold.

With that reason in mind, he takes a generous bite of his burger steak, but the meat feels dry and grainy. He forces it down his constricted throat with a glass water. He looks down on his plate forlornly, his anxiousness has dulled his appetite and he pushes the plate away.

Now that he thinks about it, he doesn’t have that many opportunities to deal with a sick Hinata before. During high school, he only got sick once, and even then, Tobio didn’t actually get to fully take care of him. Sure, he visited him and helped him eat his porridge (or something, he can’t remember exactly), but that’s about it. No actual attending to and nursing a sick person back to health.

Which is exactly what he should be doing right now.

_Shit_.

Making him tea and porridge doesn’t cut it. He should be there to make sure he eats properly, that he takes his medicine, to help him move around—literally, anything. He should be there for him. Hinata even told him so. He _needs_ him.

Tobio stands up so abruptly he sends his chair scraping loudly against the floor, startling a handful of students surrounding his table. He ignores the mix of surprised and irritated glances thrown his way, he has more pressing matters to attend to. Namely his boyfriend who he left in their apartment alone and sick and—

He's out of the cafeteria in a matter of seconds.

* * *

Hinata is standing there by the entry hall when Tobio opens the door. He must've heard him rummaging in the doorway. With brows knitted, he tilts his head and asks, voice nasal and raspy, “Why are you home already?”

Instantly, a calming surge of relief washes over Tobio. _He's okay. Hinata's okay._ He drops his bag on the floor and practically closes the distance between them in a single step. He cups Hinata’s face and tilts it side to side, checking for, what exactly, he isn’t sure.

Wide brown eyes stares up at him, equally confused and surprised, his cheeks bunched up by Tobio's hold. “Uhh—Tobio?”

He brushes his hair up and feels around his forehead, then his cheeks, pressing lightly on his skin with his palms. He’s warm, more so than usual, but apart from that he looks fine. Still, he asks, "Are you feeling okay?"

Hinata nods. "Yeah." He scrunches his brows and asks again, "Why are you home early?" Tobio answers him with an embrace, careful not to hug him too tight even he so desperately wants to. He feels Hinata tense but not a second later and his hands come up to hug Tobio back.

"I need to see if you're okay," Tobio admits with a sigh, squeezing him just a little bit more before he slowly and gently releases his hold on him, hands resting on his shoulders. He studies him again, he might've missed something and he can feel his brows starting to strain by his intense scrutiny. Hinata's puzzled expression turns soft, giving a small smile as he reaches out to poke Tobio's forehead.

"Stop that, you look ugly."

Tobio couldn't help but let out an amused scoff. "Dumbass. You're ugly."

Hinata sniffs but manages a toothy grin as he stands on his tiptoes and loops his hands on Tobio's neck. Tobio lowers his arms on Hinata's waist, bending a little and lifts him up. Hinata follows, legs wrapping around Tobio's middle.

"Sorry," he hears Hinata mumble on his neck. Tobio frowns and peers at Hinata but he only got a faceful of soft orange curls smelling like his shampoo.

"About what?"

"You skipped classes, didn't you?"

Tobio bit his lip then exhales. "Yeah, I did."

Hinata shifts, slightly tickling Tobio's cheeks with his hair. He rests his head on Tobio's shoulder to face him. They're so close he can count Hinata's thick lashes, and the tiny dusting of freckles across his nose are more noticeable with his pinkish face.

"I'm sorry," Hinata says again. A snot starts to drip from his nose, which should have been disgusting but Tobio finds it adorable. "I know I get a bit needy when I'm sick."

"A bit, huh?" He wipes away the dripping snot from his philtrum, trying his best to steady them both with one arm. "It's fine." It's more than fine. He's willing to miss a hundred classes just so he can have the absolute assurance that the person he loves is unhurt and well, just so he can be with him, to keep him safe and cared for.

He carries Hinata to the living room and carefully lowers him on the couch covered with a pile of blankets and pillows. The TV is on, playing their last match in high school, the one where they took home the championship for Spring High. They probably watched it countless times and got every second of it memorized, but they could never get tired of reliving one of the most defining moments of their life.

He fusses over Hinata, rearranging the pillows and blankets around him to make him comfortable and only then did he realize that Hinata is wearing a too-big dark blue hoodie that looks vaguely familiar.

"Is that mine?"

Hinata looks down on himself and tugs at the string of the hoodie. "Oh. Yeah." He pushes the collar of the hoodie up his chin, sweater paws and all, and peeks at Tobio with those brown, misty eyes. "It's comfy and smells like you."

He could feel his cheeks and the tips of his ears getting warm. "Dumbass." It comes out more endearing and fond than annoyed and Hinata grins lazily at him. He mumbles about making something to drink and turns around to head to the kitchen, but mostly to hide the scarlet forming on his cheeks and the wobbly smile on his lips.

The rain has now escalated into a heavy downpour. They drink their hot cocoa as they continue to watch their match, snuggled up close together. Hinata rubs his cheeks on Tobio's shoulders and starts to reposition himself, draping his legs over Tobio's lap so now Tobio is cradling Hinata like an overgrown baby. Hinata wraps his arms around his shoulders, stares at him for a second, eyes soft and searching, then leans up to kiss him on his jaw. His lips are feverish but the fire spreading on Tobio's chest is scorching, warmer than the heat radiating off of Hinata or the hot cocoa.

Hinata pulls back but Tobio leans down to kiss him straight on his lips and starts running his tongue across the chapped lines. It's sloppy and messy and frankly, a little too wet, but he doesn't care. The warmth of Hinata's mouth and the lingering taste of chocolate is intoxicating and perfect and he doesn't want to stop until Hinata breaks the kiss.

"You'll catch my cold," Hinata says, voice breathless and ragged.

"I don't care." The words are barely out of Tobio's mouth when he crashes their lips again, the kiss becoming more passionate and fervent, hands wandering languidly over warm skin under the layer of clothes and blankets.

"You're hot," Tobio blurts out when they pull away to breathe before quickly diving back in.

"I—_ha_—know. I'm irresistible."

"That's not what I meant, dumbass."

_Or maybe I do. _

* * *

He catches Hinata's cold the next day. Thankfully, their coach is quite understanding of their situation and allows them the day off, but they still lament over the fact that they skipped class and missed training for two consecutive days.

Tobio finds he doesn't mind it that much.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE IGNORE THIS NOTE IF YOU HAVEN'T CAUGHT UP WITH THE MANGA BUT IF YOU'RE FINE WITH SPOILERS THEN GO ON. 
> 
> ***
> 
> CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT THE PAIN THAT IS CHAPTER 365? Seeing Hinata cry like that, WAS TOO DAMN PAINFUL I CAN'T DJDJSJKSJSNSJSSJ AND KAGS ENCOURAGEMENT AND THE BOW AND IT'S JUST TOO MUCH
> 
> The timing of this fic could not be more appropriate. MY MANDARIN BABY IS SICK AND OFF THE GAME AND I CAN'T DEAL. FURUDATE-SENSEI REALLY OUT FOR THE KILL
> 
> And also, I wrote the draft for this months ago and I did not intend for it to coincide with what is happening in canon right now. Like, sensei, please get out of my head. AGDGDVDSBSHJS
> 
> But for real, the latest chapter SHATTERED ME. MY POOR SUNSHINE BOY (╥﹏╥)
> 
> ***


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Volleyball dorks being volleyball dorks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm late i know. I'm still recovering from the pain and it's kinda hard to write fluff when you're distraught ( ╥ω╥ )

Beads of sweat roll down Tobio's face, splattering on the hardwood floor, and he wipes it with the hem of his shirt. He carefully twists his shoulders around the sockets, attempting to release the strain on his muscles.

“One more.”

He snaps readily back to attention. Hinata didn’t wait for his response and is already taking his position at the other end of the court, still full of energy despite the sweat trickling down his back, his shirt glued to his body.

They resume their practice, experimenting on how to incorporate Hinata’s new jump to the new attack pattern Tobio has come up with. It’s ridiculous and admittedly, near-impossible to execute, but they’ve done similarly ridiculous and impossible things before and managed to successfully pull it off in the end.

Their success rate is at 35% at best, 25% if he’s really being honest about it. But they’re both resolutely determined to make this work. They’re regulars for Pano+ now, freshly recruited right after they graduated. And ever since they’ve debuted just a few months back at the start of the V1.League season, they’ve been making a name for themselves, as individual players, but notably as a duo. He’s heard from their coach that scouts for the national team have been asking about them and Tobio has to admit, they’re at their best as of yet. The culmination of years of playing with each other has honed their skills to perfection, especially on how they sync on court. It never ceases to amaze the people around them, their team or their opponents.

But that doesn’t hinder them from trying out new things—they both have this unquenchable hunger when it comes to volleyball after all. If they can make this work, they’ll greatly increase the chance of their team advancing into the semi-finals. And maybe, this new attack is what would finally get them recruited for the national team.

Easier said than done. Tobio curses under his breath as his toss goes astray a few centimeters from Hinata’s spiking point, Hinata consequently slamming his palms on nothing but air. As much as Tobio wants to continue, the last reserves of his stamina verges on empty and the accuracy of his tosses are significantly getting lower.

“Shouyou, let's stop.”

“One more.”

Ah, it’s those words. He’s probably heard it a million times now, but it still acts as a catalyst, unfailingly sparking his engine back to life. Revived by a sudden influx of energy, he nods and prepares to set the ball Hinata throws his way.

He’s got it this time.

Concentrate.

A loud thud and it’s definitely not the sound of a ball slamming the floor.

Tobio practically flies to where Hinata is slumped down on the wooden floor, wincing as he gingerly sits upright, rubbing at his backside. He crouches down next to him, taking a hold of his shoulders. “What happened? Are you hurt somewhere? Did I hit you with the ball? Wait, let me—” his voice hitches as the rising panic starts to bubble up his throat. He checks up and down Hinata’s legs and arms, leaving not an inch of him unexamined.

“M’fine. I just slipped,” Hinata says, gripping Tobio’s arm, stopping his frantic inspection of Hinata’s body. He smiles tenderly at him. “Really, I’m okay.”

“I told you to stop, dumbass! What would you do if you get injured?” He drops his gaze, glaring at Hinata’s knees and squeezes it. “What would _I_ do?”

Not a lot of things scares Tobio, but the idea of Hinata getting seriously injured and not being able to play legitimately _terrifies_ him. He always checks on him every after practice or matches, asks if he’s doing okay during games, fusses over him to rehydrate and cool down properly. Even the smallest slip ups could lead to major injuries and Tobio couldn’t even bear the thought of Hinata getting hurt when he knows he could have prevented it.

A pair of small yet sturdy hands cups his cheeks and lifts his face up. Soft brown eyes meets his gaze. “I’m okay, Tobio,” Hinata says, voice soft as well. He brushes off Tobio’s fringe that’s been sticking on his forehead, the sweat slicking it back. He knows Tobio likes it when he runs his fingers through his hair and he always does this to calm him down. “I’m totally fine, okay? I didn’t fall that hard anyway. Nothing hurts. Well, except maybe for my butt but I’m used to that.” Then he winks and wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

Tobio splutters. “Stupid." He glowers at him but he couldn’t help the wobbly smile on his lips nor the red coloring his face at the implication. This little minx.

Hinata grins. “Don’t get any ideas, Bakageyama. We have a match tomorrow.”

“Dumbass! I know that!”

He holds his hands up in mock surrender. “Just saying.” He stands and Tobio follows suit, his hands hovering on his back to steady him, just in case. Hinata stretches his arms and legs and Tobio still frets and checks for any indication of injury despite Hinata’s assurance.

Thankfully, Hinata heeds his demand to call it for the day and they return back to their shared hotel room. One of the beds remain unoccupied, except for their bags and stuff strewn haphazardly. He doesn’t even know which ones are his and which are Hinata’s.

After showering and another meticulous examination of Hinata’s body (for injuries, of course), they flop down the bed, snuggled close under the blanket. They lay on their side, Hinata’s back against his chest, their legs a tangled mess below them. Tobio wraps an arm around Hinata and immediately, Hinata’s hands come up to rest over his.

“We’re almost at the top, Tobio,” Hinata says sleepily, but his voice hints absolute certainty. He tightens his hold on Tobio’s arm. “And we’ll make it. Together.”

“Together,” Tobio answers, no hesitation. He hears Hinata’s soft snores, tiny whistling sounds as he exhales, and like a lullaby, his eyes start to droop.

He sleeps with the lingering smell of coconut shampoo and the feel of soothing warmth pressed close to him, any last trace of unease and anxiety dispelled.

* * *

Third set. 23-24. FC Tokyo on match point.

Tobio closes his eyes and takes a deep breath and let it out slowly through his mouth. He tunes out the wild cheers and shouts from the crowd until there's nothing but buzzing white noise. His eyes instantly finds Hinata as soon as he opens them.

He's quiet, the same way he always is during critical moments—focused and serious and thinking. There’s that animalistic gleam in his eyes, the demon inside stirring, its fury on the brink of awakening as it gets ready for the kill.

A chill run down Tobio's spine when golden eyes lock on him, sharp and fierce.

“Give me the next one."

Tobio knows it. Or feels it rather. It's always this, reading and understanding each other on an instinctual level. It's what draws them together, this undeniable connection between them that Tobio is still mystified with. But reason isn’t explicitly required. He simply knows. And with that raw conviction and unwavering intent radiating off this little monster Hinata had transformed into, he _knows_.

This is a challenge.

“Bring it to me.”

And Tobio won't lose.

The whistle blows and the game sets into motion. Hinata whizzes behind him, just a flash of blue and orange blur to everyone, but not to Tobio. He has his every movement memorized, ingrained into the deepest core of his mind and body, converging with his own. It’s as if he's seeing Hinata move in slow motion and a millisecond of eye contact encompasses a total exchange of thoughts.

He’s going for the new attack.

This is risky. The game is on the line.

This is illogical.

But he of all people should know that Hinata Shouyou spats at the face of logic, no matter how incontestable it is.

And Tobio _can’t _lose.

Hinata jumps, higher than what they practiced and Tobio only has a split second to gauge the apex of his spiking point, but the ball leaves his fingertips sure and precise, right into Hinata’s waiting palms.

The sound of the ball hitting the floor echoes and the entire gymnasium falls silent. Then it erupts, ear-splitting screams mixed with sounds of awe and disbelief bouncing off every corner. The rest of the team cheers with them, clapping their back and yelling words of praise.

_What the hell was that?_

_That was awesome, you two!_

_These rookies are crazy, man!_

Hinata barrels towards him, yelling and hands up for a high five and for a moment, he’s swept in with the exhilaration and satisfaction of pulling off the attack _perfectly _and he yells with him, slapping their palms together so hard it stings.

And just as quickly, his common sense reels him back and he roughly grabs Hinata's shoulders. “That was dangerous, idiot!” Tobio shouts above the deafening cheers of the crowd. But Hinata's excitement doesn't falter and he looks even more jovial, eyes gleaming with amazement, grinning from ear to ear his face might split.

“That was awesome!” Hinata exclaims, ignoring Tobio’s admonition and once again, he finds himself infected by Hinata’s energy, pride over themselves swelling up his chest.

Because, goddammit, _it was awesome._

_They _were awesome.

But the sensible part of him remains indignant and he tightens his hold on Hinata, voice stern as he reprimands, “Don’t do anymore surprises like that!”

The wide smile on Hinata's never wavered even as he tilts his head, genuinely confused. “Why not? It worked, didn’t it?”

“It was risky. The opponents are at match point, for fuck’s sake!”

“You say that but you still tossed to me anyway.”

Tobio’s hold on his shoulders slackens. That’s the plain, inarguable truth. He knew it was reckless, that there’s a high chance of them botching it up, subsequently costing them the match. But he still did it.

Because he just can’t resist.

“As if I’d lose to you, dumbass," he grumbles and ultimately releases Hinata's arm.

Hinata smirks. “That’s what I thought.” With a last shit-eating grin, he turns to his heel and resumes his position.

The game drags on, deuce after deuce, until the score brushes the thirties. The crowd goes wild with each intense rally, neither side backing down as they keep the ball in play. Hinata hasn't tried to do the attack again, quite the opposite, he's laying low and sticking to his usual patterns, no unnecessary, hasty movements.

It's their match point now and Tobio prepares to set the ball to their official ace as any good setter should do, thwarting the opposing blockers with brute force. The ball touches his palms and he flexes it towards—

_Here. _

_I'm here. _

An invisible, compelling force takes control of his body and Tobio responds to the voice, the very same one from all those years ago. Instinctive. Natural. Right.

He sets the ball as any good setter would do.

To_ his _ace.

The rest of the world falls away, the raucous cheering and the glaring lights a muted background and all he sees is the man bolting fast at his direction and the force of impact of a body slamming against him, almost careening them off-balance but he manages to steady them both in time.

"We won! We won! Tobio! We won!"

"We did."

"We're amazing! We're so fucking amazing!"

_You are. _

"We are."

* * *

Their loud, heavy breathing fills the air, a blissful haze enveloping over them as they let the rush of calm settle down.

“That was…” Hinata makes an exploding sound coupled with a gesture before his hands falls limply as he catches his breath. His face is flushed pink, eyes glazed but sated, his red lips moist and bitten swollen but curled up in a satisfied smile. He looks perfect.

Tobio chuckles. “Yeah.” He leans in for another searing kiss, Hinata's tremulous hand coming up to cradle his face, before he reaches out to the bedside table to pull out some tissues to clean them up. When he’s done, he lays down to face Hinata who immediately scoots over to press against him with a deep contented sigh.

Their chests rise and fall in synchrony, lulling him slowly to sleep. Hinata’s fingers dances on his sternum, tracing invisible patterns before he places a soft kiss right over his heart, as if he’s claiming it, then whispers, “I love you so much, Tobio."

The touch of Hinata’s lips along with those words blossoms warmth across his chest, overflowing with intense euphoria more than any other climax could bring. His heart clenches almost painfully—it’s too overwhelming, this man of pure sunshine is too overwhelming, and he feels he might get burned and yet, he wants more.

He draws Hinata closer, giving a tight squeeze then kisses the top of his head, sweaty hair and all. He murmurs the same words back before he closes his heavy eyelids.

* * *

The moment is ruined when Hinata opens his mouth again.

“Not that I'm complaining, but why did you toss to me for that last point? Even I know tossing to Fujita-senpai was the best option.”

“Just shut up and sleep, dumbass.”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> + Pano is for Panasonic Panthers, defending champions at last season's V1.League


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catching up with the old crew and Tsukishima asking the right questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm updating irregularly but I swear the last one won't take as long ☆⌒(ゝ。∂)

Tobio tugs uncomfortably at his collar and scratches his neck. "This thing's itchy," he grumbles and a reprimanding shush answers him as Hinata pulls on his light-blue necktie.

"Stop complaining and stay still."

He relents, but not before drawing out an aggravated groan. He watches as Hinata's nimble fingers work their way to knot his necktie, meticulous and delicate, words you wouldn’t normally associate with a clumsy, chaotic ball of a disaster waiting to happen. There's still a lot of things he doesn't know about him, even after knowing each other for almost a decade, been dating each other just as long. He frowns—something about that unwarranted realization unsettles him. Not the dating part, the not-knowing-everything-about-him part.

"All done!" Hinata declares cheerfully and gives one last pull at his necktie. He runs his hands over Tobio's chest and shoulders and stares up at him with an almost-bashful smile, his cheeks tinge pink. "You look handsome."

Tobio returns his stare, waiting for a follow-up snide comment, but he hears none. Instead, Hinata is looking up at him wistfully, amber eyes warm with honesty and not a smidge of malice. Even by the way he says it should've been proof enough that the compliment is as sincere and heartfelt.

Heat crawls across his face and he clears his throat, awkwardly staring at his side as he mumbles, "Y-you look nice, too."

Hinata makes an affronted gasp as he lightly pushes Tobio's chest. "_Nice_? Just _nice_? C'mon, don't you think I look dashing?"

He glanced sideways at Hinata, who's now striking poses and pulling ridiculous faces, trying to look cool.

Forget about dashing or handsome or cool. He looks heartrendingly _beautiful_, all dressed up in a dark-gray suit cut similarly to Tobio's but with a crisp white shirt and light-orange tie. A part of his hair is slightly slicked back, revealing a section of his usually hidden forehead, drawing attention to his startling brown eyes.

The dumbass is literally dressed to kill because Tobio can't even look directly at him without having his heart threatening to explode and leave him as nothing but a helpless mush.

"C'mon! Say I'm cool! I look cool, right?" Hinata insists determinedly, flailing his arms and dancing around Tobio to get his attention. He leans up, right into Tobio's face, and smiles, and Tobio swears he can feel himself go blind with how bright and glaring that smile is. This idiot is doing this on purpose, is he?

With a grunt, he palms Hinata's face away. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Let's just go, we don't want to be late."

"Jerk."

"Dumbass."

"Idiot"

"Stupid."

"You love me, anyway," Hinata amends with finality, bursting with confidence with his declaration.

Tobio raises a taunting brow at him. "Are you sure?"

"Hey!"

He laughs as he sidesteps to narrowly avoid a hand coming up to slap his back. Hinata blows a raspberry then gives another toothy grin before skipping his way to the entry hall as he sings one of his made-up songs about parties and looking cool. He’s twenty-six years old and he still hasn’t grown past his childish antics. Tobio hopes he never does.

He grabs their coats from the couch and the keys from where it hangs, next to the framed picture of their old high school team, the one when they were freshmen. His eyes fix on their young, high school selves on the photo and he smiles unwittingly. It's been so long, yet it feels as if he's living life in extreme fast-forward and everything that happened in between went by in a dizzying blur.

He hears Hinata call up to him to _'move your butt, Tobio or we're gonna miss the ceremony!'_ and with a slight shake of his head, makes his way towards the voice incessantly yapping at him.

Guess you can expect that after being attached all this time to the fiery ball of energy always raring to move forward.

* * *

The luminous lights and intricate decor on Yachi-san’s wedding is nothing short of an extravagance. A million flowers of different variety embellish the reception area and the high ceiling glitters with rows and rows of chandeliers, the whole place shimmering with other decorative motifs Tobio doesn't even know the name of.

Collective laughter brings him back from his musings. Their old high school team is gathered in two round tables, currently in the middle of an enthusiastic conversation, Hinata's loud, ringing voice rising above everyone else's.

"That's so cool, Sugawara-san! Being a doctor really suits you!"

"It's always been a dream of mine," Sugawara-san says simply with a smile and with a dismissive wave of his hand, he follows up, "But enough about me! How are you, guys?"

"That's right!" Tanaka-san interjects with a slam of his fist on the table, shaking the glasses and the cutlery. "You're on the national team, dudes! What's it like?"

The question may be directed at the both of them but Hinata answers without skipping a beat, his excitement visibly tripling. "It's awesome! There's a lot of other skilled players and we train almost everyday but we’re still on probation for the final line-up, which I know we’ll get in. Anyway, it's nice that we already knew most of the players there like Bokuto-san and Ushijima-san and Atsumu-san and of course, Hoshiumi-san who is really cool and teaches me all kinds of jumping exercises, but the other guys are crazy good too, like one of our libero—” Hinata pauses and turns towards Tobio, “what's his name again, Tobio? "

"Naka—Nakaji—something—" he supplies helpfully.

Hinata snaps his fingers in agreement. "Right! Nakahajiro-san! He's really cool and amazing at receiving!” (See? Helpful.)

“Oi, oi, oi, Shouyou! Are you replacing me as your favorite libero?”

“Of course not, Noya-senpai! You’re still a hundred times more _gwaaah_ and amazing and you’re still my favorite!”

“Of course I am!”

“Of course you are!”

Hinata babbles on, giving few opportunities for anyone to cut in, what with his mouth spewing the words faster than their quick. No one seems to mind though, they hang onto every word he says, nodding and reacting at all the right moments (except for Tsukishima who appears disinterested but Tobio knows he’s actually attentive to the conversation). Tobio only fills in when Hinata prompts him to or when he trails off and forget what he's about to say. And _he_ doesn't mind, Hinata is already saying the things he wanted to say anyway.

Eventually, the food is served and any conversation screeches to a halt and they eat in leisurely silence. Yachi-san finds time to approach their table, along with her new husband (guess she's not Yachi-san anymore, but Itomiya-san). She's on the verge of tears when everyone congratulates them and she actually bursts into a sob when Hinata envelops her in a bone-crushing hug. They've always been close and truthfully, Tobio always felt a sense of gratitude towards her. She's the one who helped them sort out their jumbled, highly confusing mess of feelings for each other, like how she did with their maths and vocabulary. If it wasn't for her, Tobio wouldn't have been living the past ten years of his life content and inexplicably happy.

The reception party continues to a full swing and Tobio finds himself seated alone at their table while Hinata and the rest of their friends dance and goof around the dance floor—if one could even call it dancing. Hinata and Nishinoya-san are twirling around like a bunch of spinning tops, laughing wildly as they bump with the others. Tobio stifles a snort when Hinata almost slips and Azumane-san had to catch him by the elbow, looking equally horrified and relieved.

_Be careful, dumbass. _And as if Hinata could hear his thoughts, he turns to his direction and gives him a reassuring thumbs-up, his smile radiant even from across the room. Tobio narrows his eyes at him and Hinata sticks his tongue out before continuing to wreak havoc on the dancefloor.

“You two are disgusting.”

Oh, right. That asshole Tsukishima is there with him.

He shots him a scowl. “Shut up.” He gestures at the bottle of wine they’ve been sharing and Tsukishima hands it over without a word. He pours himself half of the glass and with a questioning look at his former teammate, which is answered by a nod, does the same for the other one. He takes a sip of the wine and grimaces slightly—he isn’t used to drinking alcohol, but he figures drinking occasionally won’t hurt. He’ll probably have to watch out for Hinata though, he has a low alcohol tolerance and he isn’t too keen to go home lugging a squirming, _extremely needy_ dumbass on their way home.

“So,” Tsukishima starts, then as if keeping Tobio on suspense, takes a long sip at his wine, almost drinking half of it in one go. Tobio takes it as a challenge and drinks another mouthful, ignoring the way it uncomfortably burns his throat.

“When are you two getting married?”

Wine and spit spray out of his mouth and he chokes as some of the liquid goes up against his nose. Tsukishima nonchalantly passes a napkin to him, as if he expected the outcome of his question. Or he deliberately worked out the timing like the devil-incarnate he is.

He sharply swipes at the napkin, giving Tsukishima a murderous glare but it’s hard when he’s busy trying not to end up dead himself. He coughs fitfully on the napkin and when he finally regains normal breathing, he wipes his nose and his chin. Some of the wine has splattered his collar and the front of his dark gray shirt.

“You okay there, King?” Tsukishima says with mock concern, his eyes glinting with amusement behind his stupid glasses.

“Asshole.” He flings the wet, red-stained napkin which falls helplessly on the floor. Tsukishima chuckles and hands him another one from the table. Tobio takes it with a grunt and pats down his shirt, careful not to spread the stain. It’s still noticeable, splotches dyeing his shirt, but it’s a significant improvement. Hinata is going to have a field day with the laundry, though.

“That was an exaggerated reaction,” Tsukishima says blankly but a smirk lurks underneath his deceptive poker face.

“You did that on purpose, jerk.”

“Maybe. So?”

Tobio levels him with a glowering look as he folds the napkin and retrieves the other one from the floor. Tsukishima leans towards him, his chin rested on his hands, expectantly waiting for Tobio’s response. With a yielding sigh, Tobio answers, “I—We haven’t really thought about it.”

The not-so-inconspicuous smirk finally emerged from Tsukishima’s mouth. “Eh. How long have you two been living together anyway?”

Tobio gives it a thought. “Six, seven years?”

“Wow. It’s a miracle you haven’t burned down your apartment yet.”

He shoddily chucks a coaster at Tsukishima who easily deflects it without batting an eye. Well, he’s not entirely wrong, Tobio has been wondering that exact same thought each time he leaves Hinata unsupervised in the kitchen, but he doesn’t want to give Tsukishima the satisfaction of being right. Instead, Tobio spares him another stabbing glare.

Unfazed, Tsukishima shrugs. “I just find it weird you haven’t tied the knot yet.” A mocking glint passes his eyes and his expressions molds from pensive to taunting, “Or are you just scared to propose?”

“I-I’m not!” Tobio huffs indignantly. “And why does it have to be me that gets to propose?”

“Huh, you’re right. I can’t imagine you bending down on one knee. Guess that’s a bit much for the King, huh?”

Another scowl forms on his face but Tsukishima’s stony look is an impenetrable wall and the blonde bastard just casually raises his brow at him.

Tobio really doesn’t get where Tsukishima is going with this conversation. They haven’t talked about that kind of stuff; they’re satisfied with what they have now, even with all the petty arguments and light-hearted banters, or the more serious disputes that leaves them both distraught and regretful, which they work out eventually at the end of the day. But all of those pale in comparison with the happiness he feels whenever he gets home from work and be welcomed by a warm hug and an overly-enthusiastic call of his name. Or even if they go home together, exhausted from training, and just the thought that he has someone to share it with—the weariness and satisfaction of pushing themselves to reach their ultimate dream—is enough for Tobio to be content, and he can’t possibly ask for more than that. And he thinks Hinata feels the same way, too. If he doesn’t, he’s sure to nag or complain about it, as he does with all the other things that bother him.

So he says simply, “We’re...happy the way we are now.”

Tsukishima regards him for a moment with those probing light brown eyes then shakes his head with an aggravated sigh. He takes one last swig of his wine, emptying the glass. Maybe it’s just Tobio’s imagination or the wine kicking in, but Tsukishima looks genuinely earnest as he says before leaving, “Just think about it.”

A highly confused frown follows Tsukishima as he saunters away from their table. _Think about what?_

He doesn’t get to give much thought about it, though. There’s an insistent tug on his arm and a playful, _“Tobioooo,”_ in a voice he has no problem recognizing even among the cacophony of sounds inside the reception hall. When he turns his head he’s met with a similarly familiar smile, albeit mischievous and a little lopsided.

Hinata’s cheeks are rosy pink, as well as the tips of his ears. He giggles impishly. “Dance with meeeee.”

Tobio squints his eyes at him. “Are you drunk?”

“Nooo~”

Tobio sighs. “You’re drunk.”

“Maybe a little.” Hinata licks his lower lip and edges his face closer to Tobio. “Come on, Yamayama-kun. Dance with meee.” He pulls on Tobio’s arm, whimpering and trying to get him off his seat but Tobio weighs a good ten kilos more than him and with Hinata’s slightly woozy state, his strength is as good as a toddler’s and Tobio doesn’t even budge a millimeter.

“Let go, dumbass, you’re making a scene,” Tobio scolds as he tugs his arm back, only to send Hinata crashing on his chest, almost toppling them both off Tobio’s chair. Hinata laughs, muffled by Tobio’s suit. His chin slightly digs on his chest as he looks up at Tobio through long, thick eyelashes. “Dance with me?” he asks again, voice lilting eagerly.

Tobio grumbles as he gently pushes Hinata off of him. “I don’t want to. Go dance with Nishinoya-san.”

Hinata stands upright and pouts. “But I wanna dance with you.” Then his lips curl devilishly, “Are you shy, Tobio?”

“N-no.”

“Bet I’m a better dancer than you.”

Tobio snorts. “You can’t even dance. You don’t call jumping around and waving your hands like some lunatic as dancing.”

Hinata grins even wider and extends his palm out, his dazed, tipsy look dissipating, suddenly sobering up. “Show me, then.”

“Huh?”

“If you know so much about dancing, then show me,” he teases, but his eyes burn with challenge, one that Tobio knows very well and never, _ever_, backs down to it, and he downs the last of his wine and takes Hinata’s outstretched hand. But it’s the way Hinata’s face lights up into a genuine smile, blinding and incandescent, that compels him to get up on his feet.

Hinata clutches Tobio’s hand firmly as if he’s afraid that Tobio would run off (he won’t) as he drags him onto the dancefloor. Their friends cheer avidly—it’s clear that most of them are slightly intoxicated—and with Sugawara-san leading the charge, they make space for them, a wide berth right in the middle.

The upbeat music suddenly changes, slowing down into a soft, dulcet melody. A handful of people leave the dancefloor, only to be replaced by presumably other couples, the others remaining quickly finding their own partners.

Hinata’s warm hands clutch his wrists and guide them, circling them around his waist. His own arms come up, resting on top of Tobio’s shoulders. And with an encouraging grin, Hinata starts to move.

For all his grace and finesse in court, Tobio realizes that all those things don’t translate when it comes to dancing. His movements are horrifyingly stiff and clumsy, his feet can’t seem to decide which way to go and there are a couple of instances when his shoes graze with Hinata’s, alarmingly close to stepping on it. Hinata doesn’t notice or he doesn’t seem to mind; he’s sighing contentedly as he rests his head on Tobio’s chest.

“I—really don’t know how to dance,” Tobio finally admits with a shaky sigh. He hears Hinata hums and pulls himself closer, tightening his hold around Tobio’s shoulders.

“I don’t care,” he murmurs. He lifts his head and glances up at Tobio, golden irises flickering under the glimmer of the soft, muted light. “You’re still amazing.”

Tobio’s breath hitches in his throat. A staggering feeling wells up inside him, a calm, soothing warmth that fills every crevice of his body, melting away any lingering doubts or insecurities, a feeling he always seems to experience a lot lately. Yet strangely, he can’t seem to get enough of it.

Hinata's eyes never left his, full of unabashed adoration as they continue to dance. Tobio followed his every movement, letting Hinata sway them back and forth, awkwardly out of beat with the music. His gaze wanders in Hinata’s face, taking in everything, from his cheeks flushed with liveliness and a bit of wine, his pink lips stretched into a bright smile and all Tobio could think of is how truly beautiful Hinata is, inside and out, his heart pure and so full of good. He glows brighter than the sun, than any other star, and now Tobio understands why his world revolves around him.

And how he wouldn't mind doing so for the rest of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was I listening to 'Lover' while writing the last bit there? Of course I was.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Early morning ruminations by the King

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god guys, I'm so sorry. I know I said the last update won't take long, but now it's almost A MONTH after :'(( things have been kinda hectic lately
> 
> The latest HQ chapters absolutely wrecked me (╥﹏╥) 
> 
> I've always had this ending in mind, but it turned out extra sappy, mostly to pacify myself. And let's be honest, we all need the sap and self-indulgent fluff during these rough times. So if this, at the very least, can give you healing as much as it did to me, then mission accomplished xD
> 
> (also this is sort of like a birthday gift to myself lol) 
> 
> Okay, enough with the lengthy notes and welcome to sappy fun times with our favorite dorks (⌒‿⌒)

Waking up with a fist on his cheek is not ideal. And so is having one short, yet heavy leg slung over his waist. With an aggravated groan, Tobio groggily shoves Hinata off of him and Hinata rolls on his back with a whimper, face scrunching up, then it softens as he resumes his breathy snores. 

Tobio tilts his head to check the time on their bedside table. Still fifteen minutes left until the alarm goes off. He considers getting back to sleep but decides against it—he'll have a harder time waking up, and he doesn't want to start his day in a sour mood.

Instead, he props his chin on his hand and stares down at Hinata’s sleeping face. This is a rarity—Hinata usually wakes up before him–and he makes use of the opportunity to just simply admire Hinata in one of his few states of subdued calm.

His facial features are still a bit babyish, with his long, thick lashes and button nose. Sure, he somehow turned slightly rugged and sharp, cheeks and jaws delicately chiseled, but it's the underlying softness and childish wonder that Tobio adores. His other hand reaches out to lightly card through his soft curly locks and his touch travels down to caress Hinata's slightly pink cheeks. Hinata instinctively nuzzles against it with a deep sigh and this staggering feeling hits Tobio, how truly and deeply in love he is with the most endearing person in the world. And just how much he missed him. 

It has been two weeks since Hinata came back from his week-long work conference in Osaka and that period of temporary separation, made him think of things he never even give a second thought of, much less contemplate before. 

At first, the idea of having the apartment for himself for a whole week, devoid of any annoying noises or random made-up songs, appealed to him. Sure, he loves all of Hinata’s quirkiness and general weirdness, but there are times when he wishes he could have some much-needed peace and quiet. Where he can do some work without some idiot pestering him with endless questions or distracting him with kisses and fingers running through his hair (which he ultimately gives in to, he admits). Or hogging the TV and having the liberty to watch all the shows he wanted without having to literally wrestle for the remote control. 

But as the week drags on, the things that used to irk and mildly irritate him are the things he misses the most. And it dawned on him, right as he’s about to reach for Hinata’s plate after he prepares a too large dinner yet again, that it’s not those things that he misses. It’s the person who does them. 

He missed Hinata's sunny smiles, his laughter and giggles, the made-up, nonsensical songs he sings for every mundane stuff he does. He missed their lighthearted banters and petty little competitions. He missed waking up to warm amber eyes staring at him, already up and wide awake like the stupid sun he is. He missed the soft _'good morning'_ kisses, the sloppy kisses, the deep, passionate kisses and every other kisses. He missed the warm breath against his neck, panting and moaning as they become one, lilting voice gasping Tobio's name, over and over, like it's the only word he knows, that he's the only one that matters. 

But most of all he missed his warmth, overflowing with love and compassion and kindness, as if he has so much of it to give. And he got so accustomed to this warmth that living without it, even for just a mere few days, left him unbearably cold and hardly functioning. There's a void, an emptiness, like a huge part of him was taken away. The connection they always have that seems mysterious and unexplainable suddenly became obvious, palpable, and so very real. Everything that they've been through, all the accomplishments, the downfalls, the good and bad and all the in-betweens, they survived through it together. And having to think about a future without Hinata by his side is unimaginable. 

Very gently, he retrieves his hand nestled on Hinata's cheeks. Hinata doesn't move, aside from the steady and rhythmic rising and falling of his chest as he snores, his mouth parted. Careful not to stir Hinata in his sleep, Tobio sits up and reaches under the mattress, right by the headboard, and closes his fist around a small, velvety square box. 

The concept of marriage still perplexes him but the want and need to be with Hinata for as long time would allow him—as long as Hinata would allow him—is enough to bolster his resolve. And would it really make that much of a difference with what they have now? Wouldn't he just be adding yet another role of Hinata in his life? 

A rival, a best friend, a partner, a lover—adding husband to the mix wouldn't be so bad. 

One simple problem, though. How the _hell_ is he supposed to do this? 

He takes out the ring and holds it between his thumb and index finger. It's just a simple silver band, with two thin stripes of garnet-toned imprint gilded around it, gleaming when the light hits on it. It reminded him of Hinata's golden amber eyes, and it's mainly the reason why he chose this ring in the first place, no matter how ridiculously expensive it is. 

And ever since he bought the ring, he's in this constant state of anxiousness and impatience. He just has _no fucking clue_ on how to do this proposal thing. 

He did feel confident, feeling stupidly smug about one-upping Hinata by being the first to propose. Or with the intent to propose. But when the days turned into weeks of withholding this life-changing question, convincing himself that he's just waiting for the perfect moment, a worm of doubt wiggled into his brain and started to consume his initial courage and replaced it with uncertainty. 

Should he take him out on a nice dinner in one of those fancy restaurants? But they never go on dates like that and Hinata would undoubtedly become suspicious. Proposals are meant to be a surprise, right? A surprise in a romantic setting—at least that's what Sugawara-san told him when he asked for advice. 

_'But don't stress about it too much and just be yourself, Kageyama,'_ his senpai said over the phone and Tobio is still feeling slightly guilty for disturbing his busy schedule, _'I'm sure it'll work out fine no matter how you do it.' _

Stressing over it is all he's done for the last two weeks. 

He looks down again at Hinata and stifles a snort when Hinata starts making unintelligible murmurs in his sleep. He's always been a sleep-talker—just another weird thing he loves about this idiot.

"Mmmghnn…meat buns…" Hinata mumbles, followed by a string of other words too faint and indistinct to hear, and he shifts and spreads his arms, one coming to lay over Tobio's stomach. He stares at Hinata's left hand then at the ring, then back to Hinata's hand before settling back to the ring. 

_Shit_, what if the ring doesn't even fit? He just nonchalantly picked the size that looks right, not an inkling of hesitation at that moment. He did try it on and it didn't even go past the first joint on his ring finger so he thinks it's small enough but that isn't a guarantee that it would actually fit Hinata.

Tobio's already frazzled nerves jumped together, all in different hundred directions. He tries to ignore the building unease, persuades himself that it's going to be fine. So what if the ring doesn't exactly fit, they could just return it and get the correct size later and it doesn't necessarily mean that the proposal is already botched from the start, nope, it's just a small miscalculation on his part, just a minor, trivial oversight, and everything would turn out alright it's going to be just— 

A hand lightly scratches his stomach and it's oddly soothing, as if Hinata sensed his distress and is unconsciously trying to pacify him, and it renders the desired effect. His firing nerves quell down, the nagging voice in his head ceases, and he feels a whole lot calmer. 

And it hits him. A real, brilliant, idea, he can even admit that he's actually a genius this time. 

He takes Hinata's warm hand, rough and calloused, evidence of years of playing volleyball. He glides his own fingers through each hardened bump, testimonies to Hinata's persistence and unending passion, rivaling only that of Tobio's. He gives it a slight squeeze and presses his lips right in the middle of the palm. And because he's already decided to do this, he's gonna go all out and shakily breathes out the words that have been clogging his throat all this time. 

"Hinata Shouyou, I—_fuck_, this is so much easier in my head—I—uhh—you—you're annoying and clingy and loud and a dumbass but—" With equally trembling hands, he slowly slides the ring into Hinata's finger, a perfect fit, as if it's been made specifically for him. A small, relieved smile forms on his lips as he continues the words he's been practicing (and proud to have come up with himself). 

"But…I love you and all the weird shit you come with. You're the most important thing to me, even above volleyball, so—" He squeezes Hinata's hand, the ring seemingly shining even brighter now that it circles his finger, and takes a long, deep breath. "Marry me and be my dumbass until we get old and die and all that shit." 

His voice echoes in their bedroom then silence follows, the soft hum of the AC the only sound amidst the quiet. What he doesn't expect is to hear a loud snort followed by the most obnoxious snicker. 

"Only you can make a proposal sound like a demand, Bakageyama." 

No no no no no. Oh, God, please, no. 

In a rickety, robotic movement, he turns his head and he's met with brown eyes gleaming with amusement, round and big and most definitely awake. Then pink lips tug upward and curl into a devilish smirk, looking arrogantly victorious. 

"Morning." 

"What the f—" 

Sheets and blankets come flying as Hinata and his quick reflexes leap up and he laughs gleefully when Tobio lunges at him only to narrowly miss and he face-planted on the bed instead. Hinata laughs even more, ringing sound of pure delight which would have been endearing and cute if Tobio isn't thoroughly annoyed and mortified right now. 

He glowers noxiously up at Hinata, who's grinning toothily at him. "You cheeky little shit." 

Hinata's grin grows even wider. "That was so sweet, Tobio. Did you come up with that yourself?" 

Embarrassment flares up his entire face, he's probably tomato red from the neck up. "S-shut up!" 

"Awww, are you embarrassed, _Tobi_?" 

With a growl, he lurches forward again and Hinata shrieks as they run around in circles above the bed, wearing nothing but their boxers, the mattress creaking with their every movement. 

"You were awake this whole time, you shit," Tobio accuses as he swipes another arm at Hinata who jumps back like a cat and sticks his tongue out. 

"I always wake up before you, you idiot. And I already knew about it." 

Tobio stops making grabbing motions at Hinata. "What?!" 

"You aren't exactly Mr. Subtle, Tobio-kun," Hinata says in a sing-songy voice. "You've been mumbling and spacing out like an idiot for the last two weeks and did you really think hiding it under the mattress is a good idea? I change the sheets, you dummy." 

Tobio stares blankly at Hinata, his mouth opening and closing like some dumb fish. All those weeks of worrying and almost losing his sanity trying to think of ways on how to set-up the perfect proposal and Hinata just ruined it with his unusual perceptiveness and Tobio's own stupidity. 

"You…" The sound rumbles from his throat and his arms shoot out as he lunges at Hinata. "Give it back!" 

Hinata frantically backs up and clutches his hands protectively, shielding it from Tobio's grasps. "What? No! It's mine!" 

"I said give it back!" 

"No! No take-backs! You've already given it to me!" 

"I—That—that wasn't —give it back, dumbass!" 

"No! No—Tobio! Let me go—! No!" 

They roll around the bed in a tangled mess of limbs, palms on faces, feet kicking aimlessly. Hinata squirms and struggles, keeping his left hand away from Tobio's prying hands and manages to push Tobio off of him. Tobio prepares to pounce back when Hinata throws himself at him, holding him down with his entire body. Tobio is one second away from flinging Hinata off when he feels two arms squeezing around his shoulders. 

"Don't take it back," Hinata whispers on his chest and tightens his hold. "Please."

"That wasn't how it's supposed to go," Tobio breathes out after gathering his thoughts to say them out loud. His hands come up to rest atop Hinata's hair, lightly stroking his messy curls. "I-I could have done it better. I should have taken you someplace, somewhere more…romantic. Not in our bedroom in our boxers with a half-ass proposal." He stares up at the ceiling as he presses Hinata closer to him and whispers, mostly to himself. "You deserve better." 

Hinata hums, sending tickles of vibrations across Tobio's chest, then slowly lifts himself up. His hands come up to cup Tobio's face and thumbs his cheeks in the most soothing way and Tobio leans into his warm touch. Hinata smiles—the small, tender smile Tobio knows is reserved especially for him. 

"Tobio. I couldn't care less how you do it or where you do it. All I care about is you being there. And that just now was _gwaaaah_…perfect. Because it was so you and everything about you is perfect and awesome to me." He brushes away Tobio's fringe and presses a light kiss on his forehead. "So, yes, Kageyama Tobio, I'll marry you and be your dumbass for as long as you want me." 

Tobio always feels like having Hinata's love is nothing short of a miracle. And he treasures it, every single day and thanks his lucky stars that he found someone who gives him strength to confront his fears, his anger, his shortcomings and know that he is still worthy of that love. That even though he's not perfect, there's still one person who thinks he is. And only that person matters.

Hinata's flushed cheeks are smooth and warm under his touch as he stares back into those amber eyes before gently tugging him down. He kisses him, slow and deep, and even though they've shared a million kisses before, the feeling never loses its novelty, still capable of making him weightless, and he falls even deeper. 

"I love you, Shouyou," Tobio says over Hinata's lips. "I love you so much. I—I'm—" Tobio frowns as he tries to find words fitting to describe the way he feels. But it's inexplicable, too immeasurable to contain, too vast to even comprehend, and words seem cheap to describe this all-consuming feeling. 

Hinata kisses the crease forming in Tobio's brow and then his left cheek, and then the right. His eyes and lips smile at him. "I know, Tobio. I know. I love you, too. So, _so_ very much." 

Ah. That's right. Hinata just _knows_, like the way Tobio does. They've always been a mirror of each other—heart, mind, and soul—and it's the only thing he would never doubt. 

Their next kisses sparks fire, passionate and eager. Tobio's hand still cupping Hinata's cheeks slowly makes its way behind his ear, tangling his fingers in his hair to pull him closer, closer, closer. Without parting for even a single second, Tobio shifts their position in one fluid movement, Hinata below him as Tobio hovers above, as if he’s protecting this creature of light from the darkness of the world.

And that's what he intends to do for the rest of his life.

When they draw away to gasp for air, Hinata gazes up at him, eyes dazed and a little glossy, but still vibrant and alive and so full of adoration. And this too is a truth that Tobio will never doubt—how Hinata loves him just as much.

"What's with that look?" Hinata's brow quirks up in a bemused way and slaps Tobio's arm. "Why are you looking so smug, you jerk!" 

Tobio chuckles. "Nothing." He lightly bumps Hinata's nose he always finds so terribly cute before giving it a small kiss. 

"I just knew you'd say yes." 

* * *

"Hinata Tobio sounds weird though." 

"Huh?" 

"When you take my name. It'll be so weird hearing people call you Hinata-san." 

"What? Who said I'm taking your last name? You're taking mine, you dumbass!" 

"What? No! I'm older so you would take mine! And if I become a Kageyama too, then I can't call you Bakageyama cause that would be like insulting myself!" 

"That's your reasoning?" 

"What's your reasoning then?" 

"...I'm…taller?" 

"That's it, I want a divorce." 

"We're not even married yet, stupid." 

"Nghhh…Oh! I know! During our first game on the Olympics, let's see who gets more service aces then the winner gets to decide." 

"Ha! Prepare to be a Kageyama, dumbass." 

"We'll see about that...Hinata-san."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what's it gonna be? Hinata or Kageyama? („ಡωಡ„) personally, i don't care either way as long as they're together lmao.
> 
> I've made an alternate ending to this which is, surprise, surprise, a little bit angsty lol. But it's not what you think it is and it still has a happy ending :))  
It's still on the works and i'll post it as soon as i finished it xD as an extra (sort-of) chapter ♥️

**Author's Note:**

> I love getting feedbacks, and they motivate me tremendously, so drop them in the comments! Kudos are also appreciated :) Thank you for reading! ♥️
> 
> scream about kagehina or hq in general with me on my [twitter](https://twitter.com/artemisia_hq?s=09) or [tumblr](https://artemisia--hq.tumblr.com)
> 
> i have more self-indulgent kagehinas in a mixed bag of fluff, smut, and everything in between [here](https://archiveofourown.org/users/artemisia_HQ/works)


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